Wire clothes-line.



C. M. MARTIN.

WIRE CLOTHES LINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11.1910.

WITNESSES Allorney Patented Mar;28,1911;

COLUMBUS M. MARTIN, OF FOREST CITY, NORTH CAROLINA.

WIRE CLOTHES-LINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 11, 1910.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911. Serial No. 566,432.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, COLUMBUS M. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forest City, in the county of Rutherford and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in. Wire Clothes-Lines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

' y improvement relates particularly to wire clothes lines formed of wire links foldable upon each other and adapted to receive and engage articles of cloth without the aid of clothes pins.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chain comprising two links embodying my improvement; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the right hand half of a link, while Fig. 3 is an elevation of the left hand half of the same link; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the left hand end of the portion of the link shown in Fig. 3, one end of another link being joined thereto; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2, looking toward the right.

Each link is composed of two strands of wire, A and B, the strand, A, being straight and adapted to take the tension strain lengthwise of the line, while the other strand is both twisted and folded around the strand, A, the folds forming eyes within which lies the strand, A, and which are larger than said strand, so that the strand, B, is free to move laterally upon the strand, A, adjacent said eyes. And at each end each link has an eye extending through an eye on the adjacent link.

In the form shown in the drawings, the link is made of one piece of wire folded upon itself to form the two strands, A and B, and said eyes. At the fold, the strand,

B, is twisted around the strand, A, to form a coupling eye, 1, and the strand, B, is thence extended away from the strand, A, in a part, 2, and is thence extended toward the left in a section, 3, nearly parallel to but going once around the strand, A, whereby a triangular opening, 4, is formed beformed between the section,

tween the strands, A and B, adjacent the eye, 1. Thence the strand, B, is coiled transversely to and around the strand, A to form an eye, 5, larger than the strand, A and at a suitable distance from the strand A, (about as far as the length of the part, 2) the strand, B, is again extended nearly parallel with and once around the strand, A, in a section, 6, and at the end of said section another eye, 5, is formed in the same manner as the first, and thence the strand, B, extends in another section, 7 nearly parallel to and once around the strand, A, and thence by a few short coils, 8, around the strand, A, the latter having been first folded upon itself to form an eye, 9. Following each of the eyes, 5, a triangular opening, 11, is 6, and the strand, A, and the section, 7, and the strand, A. And preceding each eye, 5, is a similar opening, 10, between the section, 3, and the strand, A, and between the section, 6, and the strand, A. And said last mentioned openings may be temporarily enlarged for the insertion of cloth articles by pressing the strand, B, toward the strand, A, at each side of the opening, 11, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The eyes, 5, 5, are preferably elongated, as shown in Fig. 5, so that such movement for the enlarging of the eyes, 10, can be in only one direction.

The links may be of any desired length. Three feet will form a length convenient for folding and shipping. And the eyes, 5, may be of any desired number. It is suggested that two be formed in a link which is three feet long.

In use, the ends or corners of the cloth articles are inserted through the openings, 4, l1, and 10, and drawn laterally so as to become engaged, between the strands, A and B, while the latter bear closely upon each other. By turning the strand, B, around the strand, A, between the eyes, 5, 5 and 1 and 9, the ends or corners of the cloth articles will be folded more or less around one of said strands during the lateral move:

ment of said articles. The Wire used for turns around said straight strand and trans- 10 I forming these links should have suitable versely at intervals to form elongated eyes resiliency. through which the straight strand extends I claim as my invention loosely, substantially as described. A clothes line havin lin s rovided With an eye at each end aid comgiosed of two COLUMBUS MARTIN Wire strands formed by folding a Wire upon Witnesses: itself, one of said strands being substantially CYRUS KEHR, straight and the other being bentin long C. A. MORSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

